Hollister RanchPublic Access Program

The California Coastal Commission adopted a comprehensive Public Access Program for Hollister Ranch in 1981, which would provide daily public access to 8.5 miles of shoreline at Hollister Ranch, a 14,000 - acre residential subdivision in Santa Barbara County. The program was amended in 1982, to implement the program in three phases, with daily caps on the number of visitors, as suggested by an environmental assessment report.

That was over 30 years ago. For a variety of reasons, the Program has never been implemented, and the public has never been able to exercise their constitutional right of access to the beaches at Hollister Ranch. In 2018, Assemblymember Monique Limon (D-Santa Barbara) introduced a bill, AB 2534, that would have authorized new funding to secure public accessways at Hollister. Governor Jerry Brown vetoed the bill, on the grounds that the access program should be updated first.

In 2019, the Coastal Commission will begin the task of updating the Hollister Ranch Public Access Program. We invite you to read the original plan, and send us your suggestions and ideas for how it could be improved.

Proposed Settlement with Hollister Ranch Homeowners—public comment

The California Coastal Commission and the Coastal Conservancy have reached a proposed class action settlement with property owners at Hollister Ranch in Santa Barbara County. This settlement, which requires approval by the Santa Barbara County Superior Court, will allow the public to access by water to a stretch of beach and expand programs to bring students and non-profit groups, including those serving underprivileged groups, to the property.

Because this settlement agreement involves relinquishing a disputed public accessway to the beach, the court decided to allow members of the public who wish to object to the class action settlement to file a legal motion to intervene. Members of the public who wish to submit objections with the court must file a motion to intervene with the court by July 23, 2018 . The court’s hearing on whether to provide final approval for the settlement agreement is scheduled for September 10, 2018.

Additional information on the court’s review of the proposed class action settlement agreement is available on the court-approved notice. If you have any comment on the settlement you would like to share with the Coastal Commission please email Hollister@coastal.ca.gov. Comments emailed to the Commission will be public records so please do not include information that you wish to remain private.